Latest California Healthline Stories
Reform Efforts Leave Funding for UC-Merced Medical School in Limbo
The House health care reform bill includes a provision that would support the development of medical schools in federally designated health worker shortage areas, such as Merced County. However, several obstacles remain before UC-Merced could receive any funds. Fresno Bee.
President Clinton Stumps for Passage of Health Care Reform Legislation
At a luncheon yesterday, President Clinton urged Senate Democrats to pass health care reform this year even if they have to make compromises. Clinton also acknowledged the political and economic consequences of his failure to pass health reform in 1994. Washington Post et al.
Opinion: End ‘Gimmicks’ To Balance California Budget
California is facing a potential budget deficit of as much as $18 billion next year because state lawmakers “have engaged in years of wishful thinking and budgetary gimmicks,” such as attempting to sell the State Compensation Insurance Fund or waiting for federal money for Medi-Cal, argues a Sacramento Bee editorial. The editorial continues that the way to “end the state’s structural deficit” is for lawmakers “to go where no GOP or Democratic Party operative has been willing to go,” such as for Democrats to consider cutting programs and Republicans to consider increasing taxes. Sacramento Bee.
Workers Comp Insurer Asks for 5% Premium Increase
The State Compensation Insurance Fund, which covers about 170,000 of the state’s small- and medium-sized businesses, has filed for a 5% premium increase. The new rate would apply to new and renewal policies effective Jan. 1. The application comes one day after California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner rejected a request by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau for a 22.8% premium increase. Sacramento Business Journal.
H1N1 Flu Spurs Officials To Take Action in San Joaquin, L.A. Counties
Yesterday, San Joaquin County declared a local state of emergency in response to the growing threat of H1N1 influenza. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County officials say they are working to encourage more black residents to obtain H1N1 vaccines. Stockton Record, Los Angeles Times.
Advocates Question Adequacy of Veterans Mental Services
Advocates are questioning whether the military is providing adequate levels of mental health care for soldiers returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nationally, a backlog of disability claims by soldiers is approaching one million and waits of six months to receive care are not uncommon, according to veterans group Swords to Plowshares. At the Veterans Affairs facility in West Los Angeles, psychiatrists have caseloads of as many as 400 to 500 patients at one time, and those numbers are growing, according to Jonathan Sherin, associate chief of psychiatry and mental health. Los Angeles Times, Oakland Tribune.
Opinion: County Hospitals Act as De Facto Public Option
County hospitals have become the “de facto public option” by offering “taxpayer-funded medical services,” so Congress should “treat them and fund them as such,” argues Drew Voros, the business editor for the Oakland Tribune. Voros continues, “Clearly the facilities and personnel are in place” to make county hospitals a viable public option, adding, “Missing is a system that provides adequate funding, and that’s where congressional reform comes in.” Oakland Tribune.
Reform Costs, Public Option Emerge as Key State Issues
California and other states are concerned about the high cost of a health care reform proposal to expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan to include a provision in the Senate’s final bill that would allow states to opt out of a public health insurance option “has emerged as a litmus test” in some gubernatorial campaigns. New York Times, Reuters.
More Patients Exposed to High Radiation at Cedars-Sinai
On Monday, officials at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced that they had discovered an additional 54 patients were exposed to levels of radiation eight times higher than necessary during CT brain scans over an 18-month period in 2008 and 2009. In addition, the hospital determined that about 20% of the affected patients received exposure directly to the lenses of their eyes, which puts them at higher risk of developing cataracts. In a letter sent Monday, Cedars-Sinai officials apologized for the mistake and said that the facility would pay for the cost of any care associated with the exposure. Los Angeles Times, HealthLeaders Media.
Mercy Clinic Receives Grant To Stay Open Until 2012
The Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services has received a $344,621 grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration that will allow the Mercy Clinic at Loaves and Fishes to operate through 2012. Mercy Clinic works with local hospitals and physicians to help provide primary care and public health services to people who are homeless. Sacramento Business Journal.